Prospects for the Application of Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy in Ionic Liquids

Maurizio Carano; Alan M. Bond

doi:10.1071/CH06269

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Prospects for the Application of Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy in Ionic Liquids

Maurizio Carano ^A and Alan M. Bond ^A ^B

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^A School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton VIC 3800, Australia.

^B Corresponding author. Email: alan.bond@sci.monash.edu.au

Australian Journal of Chemistry 60(1) 29-34 https://doi.org/10.1071/CH06269
Submitted: 28 July 2006 Accepted: 30 October 2006 Published: 29 January 2007

Abstract

Prospects have been assessed for the application of the technique of scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) in viscous ionic liquids. Use of the Fc^0/+ redox couple (Fc = ferrocene) to obtain microelectrode approach curves revealed that the required steady state behaviour needed for analysis of data relevant to conducting platinum and insulating glass substrates is moderately easy to achieve in a 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([BMIM][BF₄]) ionic liquid. However, in the more highly viscous 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ionic liquid, where significantly lower diffusion coefficients are encountered, approach-curve data that conform to steady state theory are only found with very small microelectrodes (e.g., ≤2 μm diameter), very slow electrode–substrate approach rates (e.g., ≤0.05 μm s^–1), and long equilibration times (e.g., 50 s). A comparison is provided with SECM approach curves acquired in aqueous media. SECM images of an Ag substrate in contact with [BMIM][BF₄] also are presented and are of only slightly inferior quality to images obtained in water.

Acknowledgments

The Australian Research Council is gratefully acknowledged for financial support of this project and for the award of a Research Fellowship to M.C. and a Federation Fellowship to A.M.B. Appreciation is also expressed to Dr Anthony O’Mullane for valuable discussions.

References

Prospects for the Application of Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy in Ionic Liquids

Abstract

Acknowledgments

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